No-cook AIP salad of spring mix, arugula, cucumber, radish, and pear with a ginger-mint vinaigrette

Some days simple is exactly what the day can hold. You do not need a recipe with a timer to prove you are still doing this right. Greens, cucumber, radish, pear, and a ginger vinaigrette you shake together in a small jar; that is today's whole assignment, and today that is plenty.

The ginger grated into this dressing is not only for warmth. Gingerols are the compounds behind that bite, and researchers keep circling back to them for how they seem to ease a digestive system that has been unsettled for a while. The pear is doing something simpler: it hands your gut a real dose of fiber that still needs some actual breaking down, unlike so much of the soft, pre-cooked food the elimination phase leans on.

Eat it while the greens are still crisp and the radish still has its snap. A cold, bright plate like this is its own small relief on a day that has not offered many.

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 5 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1 inch fresh ginger, finely grated
• 6 to 8 mint leaves, finely chopped
• 3 cups spring mix
• 1 cup arugula
• 1 cup cucumber, chopped
• 1/2 cup radishes, chopped
• 1 pear, chopped

Method

Make the vinaigrette first. In a small jar or bowl, whisk together the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, sea salt, finely grated ginger, and chopped mint. Whisk until it emulsifies and the ginger and mint are evenly spread through the dressing.

In a large bowl, combine the spring mix, arugula, chopped cucumber, chopped radishes, and chopped pear.

Pour the vinaigrette over the salad just before serving. Toss until the leaves are lightly coated. Serve right away so the greens stay crisp.

Notes

Confirm the apple cider vinegar is raw or clean-label with nothing added beyond the vinegar itself. Apple cider vinegar is permitted on AIP. Confirm the olive oil is pure extra-virgin with no blended seed oils. Sea salt is fine.

Dress the salad at the last minute. Once the greens sit in the vinaigrette they wilt quickly. You can mix the dressing and chop the vegetables ahead, then combine when you are ready to eat.

Servings are not given in the source. As written this serves about two as a side. Total time is an estimate.

*Adapted from lichenpaleo.com*